Hearing aid fitting systems and methods using sound segments representing relevant soundscape

ABSTRACT

Disclosed herein are systems and methods enabling hearing aid fitting by a non-expert consumer. The method in one embodiment involves delivering a sequence of test audio signals corresponding to natural sound segments to a non-acoustic input of a programmable hearing device in-situ, while allowing the consumer to adjust fitting parameters based perceptual assessment of hearing device output. The sound segments define a fitting soundscape within the normal human auditory range, with each sound segment corresponding to one or more fitting parameters of the programmable hearing device. The consumer is instructed to listen to the output of the in-situ hearing device and adjust controls related to corresponding fitting parameters. In one embodiment, the fitting system comprises a personal computer and a handheld device providing calibrated test audio signals and programming interface. The systems and methods allow home dispensing of hearing devices without requiring specialized instruments.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the benefit under 35 U.S.C. 119 of the earlierfiling date of U.S. Provisional Application 61/847,007 entitled “METHODOF HEARING AID FITTING USING AUDIO SEGMENTS WITHIN RELEVANT HUMANSOUNDSCAPE,” filed Jul. 16, 2013. The aforementioned provisionalapplication is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety, for anypurpose.

TECHNICAL FIELD

Examples described herein relate to methods and systems of hearing aidfitting, particularly for administration by a non-expert, includingself-fitting by a consumer. This application is related to U.S. Pat. No.8,467,556, titled, “CANAL HEARING DEVICE WITH DISPOSABLE BATTERYMODULE,” U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/424,242, titled, “BATTERYMODULE FOR PERPENDICULAR DOCKING INTO A CANAL HEARING DEVICE,” filedMar. 19, 2012, all of which are incorporated herein by reference intheir entirety for any purpose. This application is also related to thefollowing concurrently filed U.S. Patent Applications: Company DocketNo. IH14, titled. “HEARING PROFILE TEST SYSTEM AND METHOD,” listingAdnan Shennib as the sole inventor; Company Docket No. IH16, titled,“INTERACTIVE HEARING AID FITTING SYSTEM AND METHODS,” listing AdnanShennib as the sole inventor; and Company Docket No. IH17, titled,“ONLINE HEARING AID FITTING SYSTEM AND METHODS FOR NON-EXPERT USER,”listing Adnan Shennib as the sole inventor; all of which applicationsare incorporated herein by reference, in their entirety, for anypurpose.

BACKGROUND

Current hearing aid fitting methods and instrumentations are generallycostly and too complex for use by consumers and non-expert operators.The methods generally require administration by a hearing professionalin a clinical setting. For example an audiometer is typically requiredto produce an audiogram report, which forms the basis of hearingassessment and prescriptions in conventional fitting methods. Otherinstruments used may include a hearing aid analyzer, and a real-earmeasurement (REM) instrument. A specialized sound-proof room, sometimesreferred to as a sound room, is also generally required for conductingpart or all of the fitting process. The fitting prescription from anaudiogram report may be determined from a generic fitting formula, suchas NAL or POGO, or from a proprietary formula, generally provided by themanufacturer of the hearing aid being fitted. The computations for theprescription are generally limited to hearing professional use, and theresultant prescriptions may vary considerably depending on the formulaused, sometimes by as much as 20 decibels due to various factorsincluding personal preferences.

Characterization and verification of a hearing aid prescription aregenerally conducted by presenting test sounds to the microphone of thehearing device, referred to herein generally as a microphonic oracoustic input. The hearing aid may be worn in the ear during thefitting process, for what is referred to as “real ear” measurements. Orit may be placed in a test chamber for characterization by a hearing aidanalyzer. The stimulus used for testing is typically tonal sound but maybe a speech spectrum noise or other speech-like signal such as “digitalspeech.” Natural or real-life sounds are generally not employed indetermination of a hearing aid prescription. Hearing aid users aregenerally asked to return to the clinic following real-life listeningexperiences to make the necessary adjustments. If real-life sounds areused in a clinical setting, a calibration procedure involving probe tubemeasurements with REM instruments is generally required. Regardless ofthe particular method used, conventional fittings generally requireclinical settings to employ specialized instruments for administrationby trained hearing professionals. The term “hearing aid,” used herein,refers to all types of hearing enhancement devices, including medicaldevices prescribed for the hearing impaired, and personal soundamplification products (PSAP) generally not requiring a prescription ora medical waiver. The device type or “style” may be any of invisible inthe canal (IIC), in-the-canal (ITC), in the ear (ITE), a receiver in thecanal (RIC), or behind the ear (BTE). A canal hearing device refersherein to any device partially or fully inserted in the ear canal.

Programmable hearing aids generally rely on adjustments of theelectroacoustic settings programmed within, referred to herein generallyas “fitting parameters”. Similar to hearing assessments and hearing aidprescriptions, the programming of a hearing aid generally requiresspecialized programming instruments and the intervention of a hearingprofessional to deal with complexities related to fitting parameters andprogramming thereof, particularly for an advanced programmable hearingaid, which may comprise over 15 adjustable parameters, and in some casesover 50 parameters.

For the aforementioned reasons among others, the fitting process for aprogrammable hearing device is generally not self-administered by theconsumer. Instead, a licensed dispensing professional is typicallyinvolved for conducting at least one part of the fitting process, whichmay include hearing evaluation, hearing aid recommendation andselection, fitting prescription, fitting parameter adjustments andprogramming into the hearing device. This process often requiresmultiple visits to a dispensing office to incorporate the user'ssubjective listening experience after the initial fitting. Conventionalfitting processes are generally too technical and cumbersome forself-administration, or for administration by a non-expert person. As aresult, the cost of a professionally dispensed hearing aid, includingclinician effort and the specialized instruments used in clinicalsettings, can easily reach thousands of dollars, and that cost is almostdouble for a pair of hearing aids. The high cost of hearing devices thusremains a major barrier preventing many potential consumers fromacquiring a hearing aid, which typically costs under $100 tomanufacture.

SUMMARY

Disclosed herein are example systems and methods for hearing aid fittingby a non-expert person without resorting to clinical settings andparticularly suited for self-fitting by a hearing impaired consumer. Themethod includes delivering a sequence of calibrated test audio signals,corresponding to multiple suprathreshold test sound segments, directlyto an input of a programmable hearing aid in-situ and allowing theconsumer to adjust hearing aid parameters based on perceptualassessment. In some embodiments, the test sound segments are obtainedfrom natural sound recordings such as speech and environmental sounds,with each test sound segment comprising a unique combination of soundlevel and frequency characteristics. The sound segments define a“fitting soundscape” representing a practical range of sounds within thenormal human auditory range, with each sound segment corresponding toone or more fitting parameters of the programmable hearing aid. Thesound segments are selected to expose the programmable hearing aid tothe dynamic and frequency ranges of sound in order to tune the fittingparameters by the subjective response of the consumer, thus eliminatingobjective assessments and the clinical instrumentations associatedthereto used in conventional hearing aid fitting. In some embodiments,the test sound segments include a relatively low level sound, arelatively loud sound, a relatively low frequency sound, a relativelyhigh frequency sound, of which at least two are speech segments, and anenvironmental sound. The test audio signals are generally produced fromdigital audio files, and collectively define the “fitting soundscape,”relevant for hearing aid parameters, and within the broader “humanauditory soundscape”. The fitting soundscape essentially represents therange of sound amplitudes and frequencies experienced by an individualin normal daily listening situations. In one embodiment, the test soundlevels are at least 20 dB above the threshold of normal (unimpaired)hearing.

The fitting method disclosed herein generally involves instructing thehearing aid consumer to listen to the output of the programmable hearingdevice in-situ, while presenting calibrated test audio signalsrepresenting natural sounds to an input of the hearing aid. The consumermay be offered controls to adjust hearing aid parameters using consumerfriendly controls with familiar and generally non-technical terms suchas volume, loudness, audibility, clarity, etc.

In one embodiment, the fitting system includes a computing system (e.g.a personal computer), a handheld device in communication with thecomputing device, and a fitting software application executed by thefitting system. The handheld device includes an audio generatorconfigured to deliver test audio signals to the non-acoustic input ofthe hearing device in-situ. The handheld device may also include aprogramming interface configured to deliver programming signals to theprogrammable hearing device in-situ. The handheld device may be providedwith USB or other connectivity for interfacing with a broad range ofpersonal computing devices, including for example smartphones and tabletcomputers.

Systems and methods disclosed herein may be implemented to allowconsumers to interactively develop their own “prescription” and programit into their own programmable hearing devices, using perceptualassessment and corresponding controls, without dealing with prescriptiveformulae, specialized fitting instruments, and visits to clinicalsettings. The test audio signals are automatically presented by thedisclosed fitting system at predetermined levels to the input of thehearing device, preferably electrically or wirelessly, thus eliminatingcalibration processes associated with sound delivery to the microphoneof a hearing aid. Similarly, a programming signal for adjusting hearingaid parameters by the fitting system may be presented electrically orwirelessly at an output of a programming circuit housed within thehandheld device.

Examples of fitting systems disclosed herein allow the consumer tointeractively manipulate hearing aid parameters based on the perceptualassessment of hearing aid output with test sound segments presented astest audio signals to hearing aid input. The process is repeated foreach test segment until all corresponding fitting parameters areadjusted according to the personal preference of the consumer, or bestoptions available according to instructions presented thereto. In someembodiments, the test audio segments are selected with minimal overlapin amplitude and frequency characteristics, thus minimizing the overlapin parameter optimization, and expediting the fitting process for anon-expert user.

In one aspect of the fitting system and method thereof, the consumer mayadminister the fitting at a reasonably quiet environment, such as in ahome or office. This “home fitting” aspect substantially reduces thecost of hearing aid acquisition and eliminates the hassles andinconvenience associated with multiple visits to a professionaldispenser setting. In one embodiment, the fitting process is web-based,with a fitting software application hosted by a remote server andexecuted by a computing system (e.g. personal computer) at the consumerside, in communication with the remote server.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The above objectives, features, aspects and attendant advantages of thepresent invention will become apparent from the following detaileddescription of various embodiments, including the best mode presentlycontemplated of practicing the invention, when taken in conjunction withthe accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a block diagram view of an example hearing aid fitting system,including an audio signal generator, programming interface, soundsegments, and programmable hearing device with direct audio inputinterface, according to one embodiment.

FIG. 2 is an example spectral graph depicting the human auditory rangeand the music and vocal ranges within the human auditory range.

FIG. 3 is an example spectral graph of a fitting soundscape and testsound segments within.

FIG. 4 is a representation of a hearing aid fitting system, including apersonal computer, a handheld device for generating test audio signalsand programming signals, and a programmable hearing device in-situ withdirect electrical audio input for receiving test audio signals,according to one embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a block/circuit diagram of a programmable hearing aid, showingmultiple audio input options, including a microphone (acoustic) inputand non-acoustic inputs, to implement the fitting method disclosedherein, according to one embodiment.

FIG. 6 depicts multiple test sound segments and their assignment tocorresponding consumer controls and fitting parameters of a programmablehearing aid, according to one embodiment.

FIG. 7 is a time domain graph of an example loud male speech segment forevaluating and adjusting loudness control, corresponding to a high-levelgain parameter in a low-frequency band of hearing aid signal processing.

FIG. 8 is a frequency spectrum graph of the example male speech segmentof FIG. 7, illustrating relatively dominant low frequencycharacteristics.

FIG. 9 is a representation of a user interface (UI) to adjust loudnessand corresponding high-level gain in the low frequency band of signalprocessing of a hearing aid connected to the fitting system, during apresentation of the loud male speech of FIGS. 7 and 8, wherein the UIalso shows instructions and indicators for a non-expert user, accordingto one embodiment.

FIG. 10 is a frequency spectrum graph of an example soft female speechtest segment illustrating relatively dominant mid and high frequencycharacteristics.

FIG. 11 is a representation of a user interface (UI) for a smartphone toadjust multiple controls corresponding to multiple fitting parameters ofa hearing aid during the presentation of the soft female speech of FIG.10, wherein the UI shows audibility control, clarity control andindicators, according to one embodiment.

FIG. 12 is a perspective view of a wireless implementation of thehearing aid fitting system using a smartphone executing a hearing aidfitting application, wherein the system is configured to transmit awireless programming signal and a wireless test audio signal to theprogrammable hearing device in-situ, according to one embodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Certain details are set forth below to provide a sufficientunderstanding of embodiments of the invention. Some embodiments,however, may not include all details described herein. In someinstances, some well-known structures may not be shown, in order toavoid unnecessarily obscuring the described embodiments of theinvention.

The present disclosure describes example systems and methods, as shownin FIGS. 1-12, for hearing aid fitting by a non-expert consumer withoutresorting to clinical settings, and particularly suited for self-fittingby a hearing aid consumer 1. Referring to FIG. 1, in one embodiment, themethod may involve using a fitting system 100 to deliver a sequence oftest audio signals 21 (FIG. 1) from an audio generator 22 housed withina handheld device 20, corresponding to multiple test sound segments 30,directly to an input 51 of a programmable hearing aid 50 in-situ (whilethe consumer is wearing the hearing device in the ear). In someembodiments, part or all of the sound segments 30 (also referred toherein as “digital audio files”, “test audio segments” and “audiosegments”) are obtained from natural sound recordings such as speech andenvironmental sounds, with each test sound segment (S1-S8 for example)comprising a unique combination of a sound level 40 (41-48 for example)and frequency characteristics.

FIG. 2 shows a spectral plot of the human auditory range generallyspanning the frequencies between 20 to 20,000 Hz, and sound pressurebetween 0 dB to 130 dB SPL. Sounds naturally made, as well as certainaudible man-made sounds, are considered herein as part of the auditorysoundscape 70. The upper end 71 of the auditory soundscape generallyrefers to the threshold of pain 71, while the lower end 72 refers to thethreshold of hearing. The musical range 73 and normal conversation(vocal) range 74 are also shown for reference and are generally wellwithin the auditory soundscape 70.

Another aspect of the disclosure is the concept of fitting a soundscape75 (FIG. 3) encompassing the spectrum of test sound segments 30 (S1-S8)having varied corresponding sound levels 40 and frequencycharacteristics for evaluating and determining effective communicationsin daily listening situations, and employed for conducting the fittingprocess according to the disclosures herein. The sound segment set 30(FIG. 1) with spectral characteristic within the fitting soundscape 75includes one or more relatively low level sounds (for example S3-S6)generally along the lower perimeter of the fitting soundscape 75, one ormore relatively loud sounds (for example S1, S2 and S7) generally alongthe upper perimeter of the fitting soundscape 75, one or more relativelylow frequency segments (for example S1, S3 and S6), and one or morerelatively high frequency segments (for example S2, S4 and S5). Thesound segments 30 within the fitting soundscape 75 are generally atsuprathreshold level, with respect to threshold of hearing 72 of normalhearing as shown in FIG. 3, and preferably comprise at least two speechsegments (for example any of S1-S4) and at least one environmental soundsegment (for example any of S6 and S7). The sound segments 30 aregenerally stored in digital format, for example as digital audio files.In one embodiment, the levels of test speech sound segments are at least20 dB above the threshold of normal hearing 72. For reference purposes,it should understood that a 0 dB HL (hearing level) represents thethreshold of hearing 72 for normal hearing individuals, and“suprathreshold” refers to sound levels above the threshold of hearing72. It is also to be understood that the sound pressure level (SPL) atthe threshold of hearing 72 for normal hearing individuals variesdepending on the frequency, defining a different SPL for 0 dB HLreference at each frequency.

In one embodiment, the relatively soft level speech sounds are presentedwithin the range of 40-55 dB SPL, the relatively loud level speechsounds are presented within 75-85 dB SPL, a relatively very loudenvironmental sound is presented at approximately 90 dB SPL, arelatively soft background sound, such as fan noise, may be presentedwithin 30-45 dB SPL, and broad band environmental sound, such as musicor TV sounds, is presented within the range of 60-70 dB SPL for finallevel adjustment or balance adjustments across a pair of hearing aidsduring a binaural fitting.

Systems for providing realistic listening scenarios by acousticallycoupling sound from a speaker to the microphone of the hearing deviceare known in the art. In addition to requiring an external speaker,these known fitting methods typically involve a REM incorporatingcalibrated probe tube microphones. To provide realistic listeningscenarios, some of these systems rely on a complex setup to measureindividual head related transfer function. Thus, these known systems andmethods are generally limited to clinical and research settings.

Referring again to FIG. 1, one embodiment of the fitting methodgenerally involves instructing a hearing aid consumer 1 to listen tooutput 55 of the in-situ programmable hearing device 50 (shown outsidethe ear 2 for clarity) connected to the fitting system 100. The consumer1 is offered a user interface with controls 90 (FIG. 6) to adjust andprogram corresponding hearing aid parameters 80 (FIG. 6), whilesubjectively evaluating hearing aid output 55 in response to calibratedtest audio signals, corresponding to sound segments 30 presented atsuprathreshold levels, delivered to an input of the hearing device 50.In an example embodiment, test audio signals 21 are delivered directly,for example electrically to an input 51 of the hearing aid 50 by aprogramming cable 26, as shown in FIG. 1 (system components are notdrawn to scale for clarity). Alternatively, the audio signal may be awireless audio signal 28 (e.g. FIG. 12) delivered to a wireless input 52(FIG. 5) of the hearing device 50. The delivery of test signals to anon-acoustic input generally eliminates the need to calibrate testsounds by REM systems or a sound level meter (SLM). In other examples(not shown), test signals representing sound segments 30 with fittingsoundscape 75 may be delivered to an acoustic input (e.g. a microphone)of the hearing device 50.

In one embodiment, as shown in FIG. 4, the fitting system 100 includes apersonal computer 10, a handheld device 20 connected to the personalcomputer 10, a programming cable 26, and a fitting software applicationfor execution by the personal computer 10. The audio generator 22 housedwithin the handheld device 20 may be configured to convert digital audiofiles 30, sent as files or audio streamed by the personal computer 10,to electrical test audio signals 21, and to deliver to a non-acousticinput of a programmable hearing device 50 in-situ. For referencepurposes, as shown in the block diagram of the programmable hearing aid50 (FIG. 5), an acoustic or microphonic input generally refers to anysignal associated with the microphone 59 of the hearing aid, includingthe electrical signal 58 generated from the microphone 59, or the testsound 53 presented thereto. Referring to FIG. 5, the example hearing aidmay include a digital signal processor (DSP) 56 and a receiver (speaker)57 for generating hearing aid output 55. The hearing aid audio inputsmay be acoustic such as 53 or 58, electrical such as input 51, oralternatively a wireless input, as in input 52, in conjunction withwireless receiver 54 for receiving wireless audio signals 28 andwireless programming signal 29. Alternative hearing aid input optionsare shown co-existing in FIG. 5 but it should be understood that theymay not all co-exist in a typical hearing aid application, or forimplementing the teachings of the present disclosures.

In the electrical input embodiments of FIGS. 1 and 4, the handhelddevice 20 includes a programming circuit 23 (FIG. 1) configured togenerate and deliver programming signals to the programmable hearingdevice 50 in-situ. The handheld device 20 in one embodiment is providedwith USB connectivity 25 for interfacing with a broad range of generalpurpose computing devices, including personal computers, smartphones andtablet computers. The USB connectivity may include a USB connector 38.The programming circuit 23 may comprise I²C (inter-integrated circuit)to implement I²C communications as known in the art of electronics andprogrammable hearing aids. In some embodiments, consumer controls 90(FIG. 6) for adjusting hearing aid parameters 80 are offered by thefitting software application to the consumer 1 for subjective assessmentand selection generally in lay terms, such as loudness, audibility,clarity, etc., rather than technical terms and controls conventionallyoffered to hearing professionals such as gain, compression ratio,expansion ratio, etc.

To mitigate the effects of room noise in certain room environments, amicrophone 35 may be incorporated, such as within the handheld device30, to generally sense sound 5 present in the vicinity of the consumer1. The hearing aid fitting process may then be adjusted according to thenoise condition. For example, by delaying the presentation of teststimuli during a noise burst in the room, or by halting the test processin the presence of excessive noise.

The computing system employed by the fitting system 100 generallyincludes one or more processing unit(s), which may be implemented usingone or more processors, and memory loaded or encoded with executableinstructions for executing a fitting application to adjust fittingparameters 80. The executable instructions for fitting parameteradjustment, when executed, may cause the processing unit(s) to performcomputations and programming of fitting parameter adjustments describedherein. The handheld fitting device 20 may also include a processingunit such as a microcontroller, memory with executable instructions fordelivery of test audio signals and programming signals to theprogrammable hearing device.

Using various embodiments of the fitting system 100, consumers mayinteractively develop their own “prescriptions” and program into theirprogrammable hearing devices, relying on the subjective assessment ofhearing aid output 55 and without dealing with prescriptive formulae orspecialized fitting instruments or relying on professionals and clinicalsettings. The test audio signals 21 are automatically generated by thefitting system and presented directly to an input of the hearing deviceat a predetermined level, for example electrically to an electricalinput 51, or wirelessly by a wireless audio signal 28 (FIGS. 5 and 12).The predetermined level of audio signals eliminates calibrationprocesses associated with delivering test sound 53 to the microphonicinput of hearing aids. Similarly, the programming signal 24 may beconfigured to adjust hearing aid parameters 80 by the fitting system100. The programming signal may be presented electrically to electricalinput 51 by a fitting connector 85 (FIG. 1) associated with theprogramming cable 26, or wirelessly by transmitting the programmingsignal 29 to the wireless input 52 (FIG. 5). In the example of FIG. 1,the fitting connector 85 is electromechanically connected to a mainmodule of a modular canal hearing device to deliver audio signals 21 andprogramming signals 24 to electrical input 51 of the modular canalhearing device 50. In an alternate embodiment (not shown), acoustic testsignals may be presented to the microphone of the hearing device 50, forexample, from a headphone worn with its speaker positioned in proximityto the hearing device 50 in-situ, for example a canal hearing deviceworn in the ear canal.

The fitting system 100 may allow the consumer 1 to manipulate hearingaid parameters 80 indirectly by user controls 90, based on thesubjective response to hearing aid output 55 presented in the ear 2. Theprocess of presenting audio signals and programming according to thesubjective assessment of the consumer is repeated for each test audiosegment until all corresponding fitting parameters 80 are adjustedaccording to the instructions provided to the consumer for each soundsegment. In the preferred embodiments, the test audio segments 30 areselected with minimal overlap in the combination of level 40 andfrequency characteristics, thus minimizing the overlap in parameteroptimization and expediting the fitting process for administration by anon-expert user, including for self-administration.

The fitting system 100 and method allows the dispensing of a hearing aidand administering the fitting process at a non-clinical environment,such as in a home or an office. The hearing aid may be delivered to theconsumer's home, by mail for example. This “home fitting” aspectsubstantially reduces the cost of hearing aid acquisition and eliminateshassles and inconvenience associated with multiple visits toprofessional settings. In one embodiment, the fitting process may beconducted online, with a fitting software application hosted by a remoteserver for execution by a personal computer 10 connected online to theserver.

Another aspect of the present disclosure is to present real-lifescenarios with a set of audio segments 30 selected specifically toexpose the range of hearing aid parameters 80 within a hearing device 50for their adjustment by a non-expert user using subjective assessmentwithout clinical instrumentation. Natural sound recordings may befiltered by an audio processor application, for example Audacity® forWindows, to enhance and tailor the spectral characteristics of a naturalsound recording to a corresponding set of fitting parameters. Forexample, a loud male speech segment Si may be presented at a signallevel corresponding to sound pressure level 41 of approximately 80 dBSPL. A calibration constant associated with sound level calibration foreach sound segment is stored in the memory of the fitting system 100. Insome embodiments, relatively loud speech signals may be presented in therange of 75-85 dB SPL. FIG. 7 shows a time domain plot of an exampleloud male speech segment Si employed to allow a consumer 1 to adjust ahigh-level gain parameter 81 (FIG. 6) in the low frequency band range,referred to herein as B1. The original male speech recording may befiltered by the aforementioned audio processor application to enhancethe low frequency spectral characteristics as shown in FIG. 8.

FIG. 9 shows an example user interface (UI) 19 for a fitting softwareapplication with loudness (Volume) control 91 provided to the consumer 1to adjust the high-level gain parameter 81 of the hearing device 50 inB1. The UI 19 shows UI elements including user instructions 93, pausecontrol 94, save control 95, fitting process status 96, onlineconnection status 97, and handheld device 20 USB connection status 98.In some examples, the subjective assessment of “Volume” (loudness) ofhearing aid output 55 with “Loud Male Voice” specifies gain fittingparameter 81 of the hearing device 50 corresponding to loudness in thelow frequency band. The consumer 1 may use the volume control 91 toincrease the loudness of hearing aid output 55, using an up arrow, basedon a subjective assessment that hearing aid output 55 was notsufficiently loud. In another example, the consumer 1 may use a downarrow of volume control 91 to decrease the loudness of hearing aidoutput 55 using, based on a subjective assessment that the hearing aidoutput 55 was uncomfortably loud. The subjective assessment of theconsumer 1 is generally correlated to an adjustment of one or morefitting parameters 80, which may be interactively adjusted by presentingtest audio signals 21 at predetermined levels and transmittingprogramming signals 24 to the hearing device 50, as described by theexample process above. The computation for adjusting fitting parameters80 may be performed by a processor within the fitting system 100, forexample a microprocessor within the personal computer 10 or a remoteserver, or a microcontroller within the fitting device 20. Otherexamples, shown in the process status 96 of user interface 19 of FIG. 9,relate to other subjective aspects of audibility such as threshold ofhearing audibility and clarity for “Soft Female Voice”, annoyance of“Ambient Noise”, and audibility of ultra high-frequency soundrepresented by a “Bird Chirp”. Fitting parameters 80 associated with thesubjective aspects of audibility may be adjusted based on a selection bythe consumer 1 through a user interface, similar to the adjustment ofgain fitting parameters 81 associated with loudness perception describedabove.

In a preferred embodiment, the fitting software application isbrowser-based as shown in FIG. 9 and operates in conjunction with aclient application that allows access and control of the handheld device20. The personal computer 10 and the handheld device 20 include memory(not shown) to store components of fitting software, such digital audiofiles representing test sound segments 30, calibration constants, testresults, user information, etc.

FIG. 10 shows a spectral plot of an example soft female speech segmentS4 employed to adjust user controls for audibility 92 and clarity 99,corresponding respectively to compression ratio 82 in the mid frequencyband B2 and compression ratio 83 in the high frequency band B3, as shownin FIG. 6. The original female speech recording was also filtered by theaforementioned audio processor application to reduce low frequencycontent and enhance spectral characteristics in the mid and high bandsas shown in FIG. 10. In various embodiments, a single sound segment(S1-S8) may correspond to a single or multiple user control 90, andsimilarly a single user control 90 may correspond to a single ormultiple fitting parameters 80, as shown in FIG. 6.

FIG. 11 shows an example user interface (UI) 17 for a smartphone fittingapplication to adjust fitting parameters 82 and 83, associated with softfemale speech. UI 17 may include UI elements such as audibility control92, clarity control 99, and save function control 95. Similarly, theuser 1 may be instructed to listen to a soft female sound, and adjustcontrols 92 and 99 on the touch screen 15 (FIG. 12) of the smartphone12, according to the listening experience from the in-situ hearing aidoutput 55, with a presentation of soft female speech to the hearing aidinput. In various embodiments, other fitting parameters 80 may beadjusted in a substantially similar manner using the user's subjectiveresponse to hearing aid output in-situ. FIG. 12 shows a wirelessembodiment of the fitting system 100, whereby wireless audio signals 28and wireless programming signals 29 are wirelessly transmitted from thesmartphone to implement the aforementioned teachings of the fittingprocess in conjunction with a wireless embodiment of the programmablehearing device 50. The fitting system and interactive methods disclosedherein enable self-fitting for a consumer 1 with minimal computerskills, or by a non-expert person assisting the consumer 1.

Although examples of the invention have been described herein,variations and modifications of this exemplary embodiment and method maybe made without departing from the true spirit and scope of theinvention. Thus, the above-described embodiments of the invention shouldnot be viewed as exhaustive or as limiting the invention to the preciseconfigurations or techniques disclosed. Rather, it is intended that theinvention shall be limited only by the appended claims and the rules andprinciples of applicable law.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method of hearing aid fitting for a consumer,the method comprising: delivering a sequence of test audio signals at apredetermined level from a fitting system to an input of a programmablehearing aid in-situ, wherein the test audio signals correspond tomultiple test sound segments within a fitting soundscape selected withinthe audible range of normal human hearing; presenting output from theprogrammable hearing aid in-situ to the consumer's ear for audibility bythe consumer, wherein the output results from the test audio signalsaccording to fitting parameters programmed into the programmable hearingaid; and adjusting one or more of the fitting parameters in-situ bydelivering a programming signal from the fitting system, wherein theadjustment is based on a consumer's perceptual assessment of the outputof the programmable hearing aid in-situ, wherein the test audio signalscomprise representations of a relatively loud level sound, a relativelysoft level sound, a relatively low frequency sound, and a relativelyhigh frequency sound.
 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the multipletest sound segments comprise multiple natural sounds.
 3. The methodclaim 2, wherein the natural sounds are selected from the groupconsisting of male speech, female speech, chirp, and background noise.4. The method of claim 1, wherein the sound segments are substantiallynon-overlapping in a combination of sound level and frequencycharacteristics.
 5. The method of claim 1, wherein the sound segmentscomprise a relatively loud speech in the range of 75-85 dB SPL.
 6. Themethod of claim 1, wherein the sound segments comprise a relatively softspeech in the range of 40-55 dB SPL.
 7. The method of claim 1, whereinthe sound segments comprise a background noise presented in the range of30-45 dB SPL.
 8. The method of claim 1, wherein adjusting one or morehearing aid parameters is performed by a personal computer.
 9. Themethod of claim 8, wherein the personal computer is selected from thegroup consisting of a smartphone and a tablet computer.
 10. The methodof claim 1, wherein the test audio signal is delivered electrically toan audio input of the programmable hearing aid.
 11. The method of claim1, where the test audio signal is delivered wirelessly to a wirelessinput of the programmable hearing aid.
 12. The method of claim 1,wherein the test audio signal is delivered by a handheld devicecomprising an audio signal generator.
 13. The method of claim 1, whereinthe programming signal is delivered by a handheld device comprisingprogramming circuit.
 14. The method of claim 1, wherein the programmingsignal is delivered by a personal computer.
 15. A method of hearing aidfitting for a consumer, the method comprising: transmitting multipletest audio signals from a fitting system to an input of a programmablehearing device in-situ, wherein the multiple test audio signalsrepresent multiple natural sounds at suprathreshold sound levels, andthe multiple natural sounds collectively define a fitting soundscapewithin an audible range of normal human hearing; presenting output fromthe programmable hearing device in-situ to an ear of the consumer foraudibility by the consumer, wherein the output is representative of thetest audio signals according to fitting parameters programmed into theprogrammable hearing aid; and adjusting a programmable parameter of theprogrammable hearing device in-situ by delivering a programming signalto the programmable hearing device in-situ, wherein the adjustment isbased on a consumer's perceptual assessment of the output from theprogrammable hearing aid in-situ.
 16. A hearing aid fitting system foruse by a non-expert person, the system comprising: an audio signalgenerator configured to generate a sequence of test audio signalsrepresenting multiple sound segments at suprathreshold levels, whereinthe multiple sound segments collectively define a fitting soundscapewithin an audible range of human hearing; a programmable hearing deviceconfigured to receive the test audio signals and programming signals,wherein the programmable hearing device is configured to deliver audibleoutput to the consumer, wherein the audible output is representative ofthe test audio signals according to fitting parameters programmed intothe programmable hearing device; and a programming interface configuredto deliver programming signals to the programmable hearing devicein-situ, wherein the programming interface is configured to set thefitting parameters of the programmable hearing device based on aconsumer's perceptual assessment of the audible output.
 17. The hearingaid fitting system of claim 16, wherein the audio signal generator ishoused within a handheld device.
 18. The hearing aid fitting system ofclaim 16, wherein the programmable interface is housed within a handhelddevice.
 19. The hearing aid fitting system of claim 16, furthercomprising an electrical connection configured to deliver the test audiosignals to an audio input of the programmable hearing device.
 20. Thehearing aid fitting system of claim 16, further comprising a wirelessconnection configured to deliver the test audio signals to theprogrammable hearing device.
 21. The hearing aid fitting system of claim16, wherein the programmable hearing device comprises a canal hearingdevice.
 22. The hearing aid fitting system of claim 16, wherein theprogramming interface comprises an electrical cable.
 23. The hearing aidfitting system of claim 16, wherein the programming interface comprisesan inter-integrated circuit.
 24. The hearing aid fitting system of claim16, wherein the programming interface comprises a wireless signal. 25.The hearing aid fitting system of claim 16, wherein at least two of themultiple sound segments represent natural sound.
 26. The hearing aidfitting system of claim 25, wherein the natural sound is selected fromthe group consisting of a male speech, a female speech, a chirp, andbackground noise.
 27. The hearing aid fitting system of claim 16,wherein the combination of level and frequency of the sound segments aresubstantially non-overlapping.
 28. The hearing aid fitting system ofclaim 16, wherein the sound segments comprise a relatively loud speechin the range of 75-85 dB SPL.
 29. The hearing aid fitting system ofclaim 16, wherein the sound segments comprise a relatively soft speechin the range of 40-55 dB SPL.
 30. The hearing aid fitting system ofclaim 16, wherein the sound segments comprise a background noise in therange of 30-45 dB SPL.
 31. The hearing aid fitting system of claim 16,wherein any of the programming interface and audio generator are housedwithin a personal computer.
 32. The hearing aid fitting system of claim31, wherein the personal computer is selected from the group consistingof a smart phone and a tablet computer.
 33. The hearing aid fittingsystem of claim 31, wherein the personal computer includes a wirelesssignal interface configured to wirelessly deliver at least one of theprogramming signals or the test audio signals.